stakeout

1 of 2

noun

stake·out ˈstāk-ˌau̇t

: a surveillance maintained by the police of an area or a person suspected of criminal activity

stake out

2 of 2

verb

staked out; staking out; stakes out

transitive verb

: to assign (someone, such as a police officer) to an area usually to conduct a surveillance

: to maintain a stakeout of

: to claim as one's own

Examples of stakeout in a Sentence

Noun The drug deal was witnessed during a stakeout of the building. The police were on a stakeout.

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Noun

So do your homework and maybe even a little undercover stakeout. —

Teja Chekuri, Forbes, 2 Dec. 2024 There are fewer of the ambitious yearslong stakeouts that produced genre-defining classics such as Hoop Dreams, American Movie, and Paris Is Burning. —

Lane Brown, Vulture, 26 Aug. 2024

Verb

Israel has staked out military positions in southern Syria following the ouster of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad by rebel forces in early December. —

Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 1 Jan. 2025 That American notion of having the freedom to stake out your own space? —

Deepti Hajela, Los Angeles Times, 22 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for stakeout